Empowering DEIA
Through Strategic
Partnerships and
Expert Collaborations
DEIA Ecosystem Allies
Connecting Innovators and Leaders Committed to DEIA Success
The DEIA Catalyst Program is proud to collaborate with a diverse array of organizations who bring a wealth of expertise to the DEIA landscape. These esteemed professional organizations offer a broad range of services, from strategic consulting and training to innovative technology solutions and inclusive policy development. Each allies contributes unique strengths, helping to drive meaningful progress in diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. Together, they form a robust network that empowers the cohort members to champion DEIA in their organizations and communities.
LedBy Foundation
LedBy Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering Muslim women in India through leadership development. Incubated at Harvard University by Dr. Ruha Shadab, LedBy Foundation serves as a unique professional leadership incubator aimed at increasing Muslim women’s representation in the workforce. Their mission is to contribute to an equitable growth story for India by offering fully-funded fellowships that accelerate the careers of Muslim women, equipping them with the skills and opportunities needed to excel in their professional journeys.
Services
1. LedBy Corporate Leaders Fellowship:
A 5-month intensive leadership program for young Indian Muslim women professionals.
2. Recruitment Opportunities:
A job board connecting women to potential employers.
3. Skill Development:
Provides workshops and training to enhance professional skills.
Deepanjali Lahiri
Chief Operating Officer
99679 54121
[email protected]
www.ledby.org
Katalyst
Katalyst India, an award-winning NGO, empowers young women through STEM education, particularly in Engineering.Katalyst India, an award-winning NGO, empowers young women through STEM education, particularly in Engineering. Since 2007, it has bridged the gender divide by preparing these women for leadership roles. Katalyst’s unique development interventions include a 600-hour proprietary curriculum, one-to-one mentorship, access to cutting-edge technology, internships, and industry exposure. Operating in Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, Delhi, Hyderabad, and Chennai, Katalyst impacts nearly 3,000 girls, with 1,200 currently enrolled in the program.
Katalyst’s initiative, Alkemist – Women Beyond Boundaries, is a multi-level program designed for early, mid, and late-career women professionals aspiring for senior leadership roles. The program is dedicated to cultivating leader-managers of exceptional caliber, aiming to develop them into Purpose-Driven Leaders and Effective Managers.
Services
1. STEM Education Support:
Assisting girls pursuing engineering to secure jobs across various sectors, promoting career and economic development.
2. Learning & Development Initiative:
Offering the Alkemist program to women in careers with a bespoke curriculum, trust groups, and professional coaching to help them unlock their full potential, enhance self-belief and effectively navigate the corporate landscape.
3. Akcelerator Program:
Providing counseling and coaching for post-graduation, aiding career advancement.
Megha Varma
Associate Director
99608 35156
[email protected]
www.katalystindia.org
Inclusional
Inclusional is a tech-enabled boutique consultancy that supports India Inc. in leveraging diversity, inclusion, and belonging for business, people, and economic growth. They offer a range of services including tech solutions, learning and development interventions, workshops, and consulting services designed to help individuals, businesses, and the economy thrive. Inclusional’s approach to diversity focuses on recognizing people as talent and consumers, without singling out any specific gender or stereotype.As knowledge partners in the Prevention of Sexual Harassment (POSH) space, Inclusional is associated with the National Commission for Women in India. They also serve as Inclusion and POSH partners for the Retailers Association of India (RAI) and the Indian Drug Manufacturers’ Association. Inclusional has been recognized with the 2022 Shri Shakti United Nations Women & My Government Award, highlighting their commitment to promoting inclusive workplaces and societies.
Services
1. Tech-Enabled Solutions:
Provides technology offerings to enhance diversity, inclusion, and belonging.
2. L&D Interventions:
Delivers workshops and consulting services to drive business and economic growth through inclusion.
3. POSH Expertise:
Serves as a POSH knowledge partner and inclusion advisor for major industry associations.
Priyanka Chaturvedi Agrawal
Head – Inclusional
98923 86680
[email protected]
www.inclusional.com
Social Equity
Social Equity Advisory Services is a boutique consulting firm specializing in accessibility and inclusion of persons with disabilities in the workforce. Founded with the goal of enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of inclusion programs, Social Equity aims to increase job opportunities for people with disabilities. The firm also provides management support to NGOs in their non-core areas, helping them to streamline their operations.With a growing emphasis on inclusive work cultures and the need to reduce implicit and explicit discrimination based on age, ability, gender, or other factors, Social Equity assists organizations in identifying and leveraging talent from all available sources. They offer expertise in creating impactful programs to address accessibility and inclusion, specifically for persons with disabilities, through policy design, implementation, and talent acquisition support.
Services
1. Accessibility & Inclusion Consulting:
Helps organizations create and implement programs for workplace accessibility and inclusion, focusing on persons with disabilities.
2. Policy Design and Implementation:
Assists in designing and implementing inclusive policies for diverse workforces.
3. Talent Acquisition:
Supports organizations in recruiting and integrating persons with disabilities into their workforce.
4. Management Support for NGOs:
Provides management support to NGOs in non-core areas to enhance their efficiency.
Abha Saxena
Founder
99805 27453
[email protected]
www.socialequity.co.in
Sama
Sama is an AI-enabled employee retention tool dedicated to promoting gender inclusion. Their mission is to help organizations identify the factors contributing to employee turnover, with a particular focus on understanding why women leave and how companies can become more attractive employers for female talent. By offering gender-disaggregated insights, Sama empowers employers with the knowledge needed to retain top female talent.Sama’s unique predictive modeling tool provides valuable insights into talent attrition, while their Solutions Hub curates effective interventions for retention. As a data-driven, AI-powered platform, Sama is committed to helping organizations retain their best talent and create inclusive workplaces where all employees can thrive.
Services
1. Gender Sensitization Program:
Offered in 4 different formats (For leaders, For train the trainers, 1.5 hr masterclass, 3-4 month long engagement).
2. Women Leadership Program:
Suitable for mid career women who are promising future leaders.
3. DEI advisory and roadmap:
Suitable for organizations who are keen to start a structured and milestone based DEI journey.
Mridvika Raisinghani
Co-Founder
98691 74357
[email protected]
www.samalives.com
Breath Beings
Breath Beings is a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) consulting firm dedicated to fostering self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and the application of research-based content in DEIB initiatives. Recognizing that traditional DEIB training methods often feel uninspiring, Breath Beings offers unique film-led training programs that capture the power of storytelling through films. Additionally, they provide immersive theater-based programs and tailored solutions to help organizations build safe and equitable workplaces.One of their signature offerings, “Women’s Leadership Atlas,” introduces psychological cognitive frameworks alongside generative leadership, supporting the development of women leaders. Breath Beings is committed to making DEIB content relatable and relevant, equipping organizations to elevate their DEIB conversations. Their goal is to build a greater appetite for DEIB through immersive learning solutions that inspire meaningful change.
Services
1. Film-Led Training:
Offers storytelling-driven DEIB training through films.
2. Immersive Theatre Programs:
Provides theatre-based experiences to foster safe and equitable workplaces.
3. Women’s Leadership Atlas:
Introduces cognitive frameworks and generative leadership for women’s leadership development.
Amruta Patwardhan
www.breathbeings.in
88619 19246
[email protected]
Periferry
PeriFerry is a social impact enterprise dedicated to creating LGBTQIA+ inclusive workplaces by bridging the gap between corporate environments and the Transgender community. PeriFerry collaborates with organizations to facilitate the placement of Transgender individuals, provide DEI consulting and advisory services, conduct sensitization workshops, and organize employee engagement events.
Through PeriFerry Foundation, they support the Transgender community by offering job training, safe shelter and accommodation, and livelihood opportunities. PeriFerry’s impactful work has led to the placement of over 530 Trans individuals in various organizations, the sensitization of more than 75,000 corporate employees, the upskilling of over 680 Trans persons, and partnerships with more than 265 corporates across India.
Services
1. Placement of Transgender, Non Binary, Intersex persons in organizations
2. LGBTQIA+ Sensitization workshops and employee engagement events
3. LGBTQIA+ DEI Policy and Infrastructure Consulting and Advisory
Team Periferry
93619 42130
[email protected]
www.periferry.com
The Ability Foundation
Ability Foundation is a national cross-disability umbrella organization based in Chennai, dedicated to creating an equitable society for individuals with disabilities. The Foundation focuses on advocacy, empowerment, information dissemination, and supporting the rights and inclusion of persons with disabilities. Their wide-ranging activities include publishing, education and employment initiatives, media engagement, cultural programs, legislative advocacy, human rights efforts, and policy implementation. A notable aspect of their work is the publication of “Success & ABILITY,” a cross-disability magazine that serves as a bridge between people with and without disabilities. The Foundation’s initiatives also include promoting inclusive education in collaboration with mainstream institutions, like their partnership with Sathyabama Institute of Science & Technology, which offers scholarships to students with disabilities. Ability Foundation’s Employment Wing provides comprehensive solutions in employment and accessibility, facilitating inclusive hiring processes, conducting access audits, and offering support to employers and persons with disabilities. Their flagship initiative, EmployABILITY, is a pioneering job opportunities fair that connects qualified persons with disabilities and committed equal opportunity employers on a non-discriminatory platform. The Foundation also promotes Indian Sign Language to facilitate communication for deaf or hard-of-hearing individuals and conducts access audits of built environments to recommend improvements for inclusivity. With a steadfast commitment to an inclusive civil society, Ability Foundation continues to champion the rights and potential of persons with disabilities in India.
Services
1. Advocacy and Empowerment:
Promoting the rights and inclusion of persons with disabilities through advocacy, information dissemination, and policy implementation.
2. Employment and Accessibility Solutions:
Offering inclusive hiring support, access audits, and placement services to connect employers with talent from the disability community.
3. Inclusive Education Initiatives:
Advocating for and facilitating inclusive education in mainstream institutions with scholarships and accessible learning environments.
Meenakshi Narayanan
Director – Operations
99400 70692
[email protected]
www.abilityfoundation.org
NAB India Centre for Blind Women and Disability Studies
The National Association for the Blind in India, a 55-year-old pioneer in advocating for the blind, established the Centre for Blind Women & Disability Studies in 2002 in Delhi. This initiative was inspired by a study on the status of blind women in India, led by Ms. Shalini Khanna, now the Founder Director. The study revealed the stark social isolation faced by blind women, prompting the creation of the Centre to address their vocational and social needs. The management team, chaired by former ambassador Ajai Malhotra, includes notable leaders such as former IT chief commissioner Pamela Bhandari and Rotary Governor Manjit S. Sawhney. Ms. Shalini Khanna Sodhi also chairs the Skill Council for Persons with Disabilities (SCPwD), focusing on training individuals with disabilities to meet industry demands. The Centre provides free, market-aligned skill training in areas like customer care, spa therapy, bakery management, and breast cancer screening through tactile examinations. It has reached over 25,000 disabled youth and children through its various programs. In addition to vocational training, the Centre conducts research to identify new employment opportunities for visually impaired individuals, engages employers in awareness activities, supports entrepreneurial ventures, and offers lifelong assistance to visually impaired women.
Services
1. Training:
Providing tailored courses for individuals with visual impairments to match market needs.
2. Corporate Inclusion Support:
Fostering corporate inclusion through awareness activities, job mapping, on-site training, and post-placement support.
3. Collaborative Training Partnerships:
Enhancing training programs and connecting organizations with corporates nationwide.
Nitasha Kachru
Dy. Director (Training & Placements)
98733 00410
[email protected]
www.nabcentreforwomen.org